Swimming in Molasses--OR--Am I Just Too Pushy?

I have never felt like I needed to be The Boss. I can follow as well as lead.
I think.

See, I'm involved in several projects. One, the zombie movie that was rescheduled, is a project that I now have much more responsibility. I am the producer! And the director of the show thinks highly of me. I think highly of him. I've offered my help and he has gratefully and graciously accepted and welcomed it. The Zombie Movie will Rock!

But the show I'm in now, ACC, well, I stepped in last Thursday at the first music rehearsal because it was basically a train wreck. Please understand, I am not a musical genius. I can sing. I've had some training. I know how to work with other people to get them excited and working as a group. I didn't want to completely walk over the music director of the show last Thursday night. But the show was in peril of drowning and I gave it my best shot of Jennifer Style CPR.

I have fretted that I was just too pushy. I wasn't that worried about the music director. She has been sadly put into a job she can't do. Period. But I worried horribly that the show's director would be mad that #1 I pretty much took over (the director wasn't there), and #2 that when I told her it was a train wreck, she'd think I was a complaining diva loser.

Fortunately, I spoke with the director tonight and she was grateful for my feedback.
<Wiping forehead>
Phew!

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Me as Singing Diva

I might be a diva about singing. It's not that I think I shouldn't sing loudly. I want to. It's fun. But last night at music rehearsal, I sang and sang and sang so loudly because nobody else knew what they were doing. I could have been perceived as a diva. I know! And I find them so abhorrent!

I've never considered myself very knowledgeable about singing--I've picked up some ideas here and there. And I find myself zombie singing all the time (especially in church), in that I don't enunciate at times, I take breaths when I shouldn't.

I am now thinking, when dealing with singers who don't know what they're doing, if I were the music director, I'd give them a few tips, give them the notes, give them where I want them to breathe and call it good. We have less than 2 1/2 weeks til performance and nobody knows nuthin'. Yipes.

Am I this controlling? Or is it that I want to help and just like to support others?

Life lessons, my friends. Life lessons.

Keep Playing! (And keep pondering...)

Hairspray Reminiscences--6--Divas

In Hairspray, I was able to 'experience' several different types of divas. They fell into three categories:
1. The "I have so much knowledge, I must try to direct every scene" type. These people quote the books they've read, classes they gone to, and of course, the many varied parts they've played in the 300,000 shows they've been in. They are passive-aggressively pushy, and most of their comments are along the lines of, "Of course you want my advice. I'm just so knowledgeable. And I'm only trying to make this the best production, so what's wrong with that?"
Several people of this ilk told me how to play Prudy. Not only did this irk me, it made me lose my confidence, something I didn't have a whole lot of when I was first cast. It also made me feel sort of fuzzy, like maybe I shouldn't have really gotten the part.
2. There was the total freak out diva. Just one in this show, but one was more than enough. He got in front of the cast several times and freaked out. I don't know how to say it any other way. He was not only completely negative, he scared me, gesticulating as he frantically screamed, repeating "This isn't me" over and over again. Scared the hell out of me, to be honest. One time, he completely lost it and said that we weren't ready to put on the show yet. All of us cast members sort of looked at each other like, now what? Then we realized, who is this guy and why are we listening to someone who is going berzerk? This guy yelled at us about being yelled at by the director. Though he said he was a 'professional', when the director asked a group of the teen council men to sing one song as a back up a capella number, this guy said he "didn't feel comfortable" doing it. (My son, years younger than Mr. Diva was THRILLED to try the a capella. Which makes me think--define professional, will you please, Mr. Diva?) If I never am cast in another show with this person, I will be one happy actress.
3. The Spotlight on Me person. We had one of those in the cast, too. No matter what scene she was in, she hogged it. She went against the director's rule about not cutting her hair and cut it. She refused to wear her costume as she was required. When asked why she did that, she flippantly replied, "I didn't feel like it. I was bored." She demanded that her part be expanded in the show. The director acquiesced and then she reamed him out because he didn't give her enough of a starring role. (As an aside, the director had a mini breakdown and a large part of it was the Miss Diva.) She is a lovely, talented woman with a great look, voice, and dancing prowess. And she was such a pain in the neck. She also brought her toddler to many of the rehearsals and I spent many a moment during those already tedious rehearsals worrying to death that this kid, who clearly has never been told how to behave, would get hurt or even killed. This woman also left her infant baby in the dressing room during performances. This room was often only populated by this darling baby. Thank God there were no baby snatchers. I mean this.
The thing is, theater is one area that there are always more actors than there are parts. There is almost always another person, and maybe 100 people, who could replace you in one second. Why would anyone choose to act like a pushy, bossy, loud-mouthed, insane know it all, I'm-so-much-better-than-you loser when they could be replaced with someone who could do as good a job or better and be easy and fun to work with?
Especially in community theater?
Fie on all divas. You almost ruin things for those of us who have fun, teamwork, personal and professional growth, and social contacts as our goals.
And just from me. You are NOT all that!
Keep playing!